PLEASE NOTE: This episode is part of our "One Year On" series, two ESH shares recorded approx. 1 year apart.

Matty's first share can be heard here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VBTIblM2nEFcsrQBIzcKH?si=zPDorE3DTGuTYyVgNBxKtw

Matty shared at AANP in January 2024, and as part of our One Year On series, we thought it was time to check in and see how life has unfolded since then.

What follows is a raw, honest account of a year in recovery shaped by instability, near-relapse, legal stress, housing upheaval, illness, and the daily work of staying sober when nothing feels settled. From getting sober in Las Vegas, to navigating recovery across AA, LifeRing, and online communities, to teaching himself software engineering while sleeping on couches and fighting to hold onto a job that nearly slipped away, Matty speaks openly about what it means to keep choosing sobriety in the middle of real life.

This is not a highlight reel. It is a story about persistence. About building structure where there is none. About using every available tool: meetings, service, therapy, meditation, writing, community, and hard-won self-honesty. About learning how not to pick up, even when the pressure keeps rising.

A candid conversation about staying sober, staying connected, and slowly moving from survival toward something that begins to feel like living.